Monthly Archives: January 2018

One of the many highlights in 2017 for AirlineGuys was attending the wedding reception of Akhil and Shivani Anumolu. The reception was held at the Delta Flight Museum. It was an amazing, colorful, and festive evening filled with scrumptious food, dancing, and story sharing. I met Akhil, like many have, through his presence on social media (39K followers). It has been great getting to know Akhil and learn more about what makes him the person he is. Oh, and he loves aviation so we have lots to talk about!

We hope you enjoy getting to know Akhil.

AG: Your close friends know you work for a major airline based in the southeast, what exactly do you do for said airline, and how long have you worked there?

AA: I have the honor of working in our Digital Marketing department, specifically focused on our Optimization & Marketing Technology component for the past 2 years.

AG: Wow! Your current job sounds like you have to be really smart. Where’d you go to school? And what’d you study?

AA: Stayed local in Georgia and went to the University of Georgia where I did my undergraduate degree in business, specifically Management Information Systems.

AG: Before you entered the world of aviation, what type of work did you do?

AA: I have always worked in digital eCommerce, with previous stints at Symantec and a start-up, Wonder Workshop.

AG: It’s hard to place your accent? Where’d you grow up?

AA: I grew up in Savannah. I lost my southern twang when I moved to San Francisco after college but I am a Georgia boy through-and-through.

AG: What did you like most about Savannah? What did you like least?

AA: I enjoyed the slower pace and having a major aviation company like Gulfstream flying all their amazing jets over the city. In terms of least liked attribute, it would be the ridiculous summer heat.

AG: Well Savannah isn’t far from Atlanta. How long have you lived here? And what do you like most about living in Atlanta?

AA: Been here almost 3 years now and loving every moment! This city is growing and seeing the enthusiasm about the direction Atlanta is headed is amazing; also helps that we have a new and talented MLS team bringing the city together too.

AG: Congrats on your wedding! We have several friends of Indian descent but have never been to a traditional Indian wedding. Tell us about that.

AA: Well, Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world and involves a very long multi-day wedding traditionally. We cut ours down to just a few hours which involved giving prayers and asking for blessing for our newly formed family. A lot of what is done in a traditional Hindu wedding is similar to what you find in a traditional western wedding, including giving vows and sanctifying your marriage before God; Hindu weddings just do that for a bit longer.

Shivani & Akhil Anumolu

AG: Who travel furthest for your wedding and reception?

AA: We had family from Malaysia fly in just for the weekend.

AG: Oh wow!

AG: And speaking of wow, your wife is quite beautiful! Beauty & The Beast? We kid, we kid! How’d you meet Shivani? We understand there’s an airline angle?

AA: We met in college while studying for post-graduate exams. We began dating soon after but then I took a job in San Francisco and she went to medical school in Kansas City. Because my job required a lot of travel, I decided to become a Delta SkyMiles member and soon earned their top status, Diamond Medallion. With all the travel came a lot of SkyMiles that we would use to see each other. We have been long distance for 7 years and Delta’s route structure was the reason we were able to see each other and now why we are happily married.

AG: Did Shivani know you were an avgeek when you met?

AA: She knew I was a geek… maybe not so much an avgeek. “, especially the engineering side of aviation.

AG: Who’s idea was it to have your wedding reception in the Delta Flight Museum? And what were Shivani’s thoughts about this?

AA: It was really a joint decision by Shivani and I to have the reception at the DFM; we really couldn’t think of a better venue that reflected our relationship. Plus, it was much more unique than other venues we saw.

The ultimate avgeek wedding reception – Delta Flight Museum

AG: This question is for Shivani – When you met Akhil, did you know he was the ONE?

SA: Not at all; he was not what I considered my type when we first met. What won me over was his caring attitude (he literally tries to help anyone he can) and that he makes me laugh all the time. He is also my opposite in a lot of ways so we complement each other very well.

AG: Akhil, now that you fly for free, how do you feel about not getting miles for all your travel?

AA: In a previous life, I was and enjoyed the perks of elite status. I would note that I do not fly for free, I fly if a seat is available that no passenger will use. Took me a little while to get used to not earning miles, as I loved tracking my travel amount with it, but I am happy not to live on the road as much as I used to so not a problem not earning.

AG: Dublin Ireland: great people and growing tech scene/culture. In the US: Kansas City for its amazing BBQ!

AG: When you’re not traveling or working, what do you do for fun?

AA: Video games and spending time with friends. Lot of my friends have busy professions so we like to get together and watch ball games when we can; helps that the wife loves the same teams as well.

AG: Honeymoon plans?

AA: Maldives, so we can completely disconnect and relax.

AG: Do you plan to make Atlanta your home? And are there any plans for a Little Akhil or Little Shivani?

AA: Would love to make Atlanta my home but we never know where the future will take us as we both would love to live abroad for a bit. As for kids, in due time, we just got married!

AG: You have almost 40K followers on twitter. So, it’s obvious that you know many people and many people know you. What’s the one thing about you that MOST people don’t know?

AA: I would say most are surprised to find that I am pretty quiet normally. They see the social media accounts and think I am always out and about meeting with folks and doing things, but really, I like to just observe or listen, and at times can be a home body. I also read a lot about a variety of items; the world is fascinating and there is a lot going on.

AG: Akhil and Shivani thanks for taking the time to share details about your life with the AirlineGuys community. As usual, we’ll be following your adventures on twitter (@Akhil_Anumolu). Congratulations and all the best in your marriage!